nashville.gov/ce

AnnuAl report2015-2016

enriching the diverse fabric of nashville

Nashville Community Education4805 Park Ave, Nashville, TN 37209

615-298-8050cecinfo@nashville.gov

http://nashville.gov/ce

facebook.com/NashvilleCEC@NashvilleCEC

@nashvillecommunityeducationnashvillecec.wordpress.comyoutube.com/nashvillecec

Nashville Community Education would like to specially thank Minuteman Press for their work printing our catalogs each session and for printing our Annual Report.

missionProvide personal and professional enrichment for adults in the Nashville-Davidson County community.

visionA service that enriches the diverse fabric of Nashville through affordable education opportunities.

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Dear NCE Partners: Thank you for your continued support of Nashville Community Education (NCE). FY16 was a year of great change for the department. New employees, a new look, new classes and a new registration system are all helping improve student, instructor and staff experiences.

First, you may have noticed the new logo: a weaving representing how NCE unites a variety of community

members through our educational opportunities, resulting in a stronger Nashville. This new look has spread into all of our collateral material including our catalogs, advertisements and communications. Using fresh, consistent imagery has broadened our audience, appealing to those who may not have noticed us before.

Also new to the office are two staff members: Imelda Alamilla and Joshua Hill. Imelda actually came to the department as our Administrative Officer, but was promoted to Program Coordinator shortly after. We welcomed Joshua as the new Administrative Officer in April 2016. Both Imelda and Joshua bring enthusiasm, experience and great customer service skills to their positions and will be integral in the continued growth of the department.

And to top it off, we introduced a new online registration system that is user-friendly, easy to browse and crisply designed. This new system has provided benefits for staff, instructors and students and streamlined our registration process resulting in improved student satisfaction.

The following pages outline in more detail the growth of the past year. I am proud of the work our team has done and hope you enjoy seeing the outcomes as much as I have. If you would like to learn more about our work or how you can get involved, we would enjoy an opportunity to meet with you to discuss. Remember, our door is always open!

Thank you for helping us continue to enrich the diverse fabric of Nashville, Mary Beth Harding Executive Director

letter from the executive director

the commission

staff

Picture of us

Left to right: Joshua Hill, Administrative Officer; Mary Beth Harding, Executive Director; Imelda Alamilla, Program Coordinator

Commission Members Bernard Pickney Laura Moore Karla Coleman Garcia Dr. Edward G. Hantel, Chair Dalila Duarte, Vice Chair*Matia Powell, Secretary*Doug Renfro* *not pictured

students

Nashville Community Education serves students from all over the mid-state area. This year we welcomed almost 900 new students to our program. Our Spring session had the greatest increase of students with over 400 new participants.

This year, NCE served more students than it has in over 5 years in the Fall and Spring sessions. We know our program is succeeding because many students don’t choose to take just one class. Almost 60% of our students took multiple classes during a session.

Our students come from diverse backgrounds, age groups and a variety of experiences. The majority of our students are ages 28 - 37 or 58+, although we have succeeded in diversifying all age ranges. We strive to reach all communities through marketing and programming efforts including partnerships.

2,107 Students78% Female 30% People of Color

This year we offered 334 classes including 80 new classes. Topics covered include:

Whether you want to learn a new language, improve your computer skills, take control of your finances, or improve your health, NCE has something for everyone. These classes allow students and instructors the opportunities to impact their community, connect with others, and explore new opportunities in their personal and professional lives.

• Language

• Arts

• Create

• Fitness

• Legal

• Career

• Technology

• Life

• Finance

FY16’s Most Popular ClassesSpanishEstate Planning Tai Chi Introduction to Computers Oil Painting

instructors

Our instructors are community members who volunteer to share their expertise about their careers, hobbies, and passions. Our instructors teach everything from how to play an instrument, how to write a resume, and how to turn a book into a work of art. We are fortunate many of our instructors return semester after semester to share their skills and knowledge with our students.

Over 50 instructors each session with more than 50% teaching multiple classes

instructor spotlight

This year we celebrated Volunteer Instructor, Lea Johnson, who has taught Estate Planning with NCE for over 5 years! NCE is grateful for Lea’s years of dedicated, reliable, quality instruction. We know that students recognize Lea’s efforts in class, but she is also amazing to work with administratively. We are so appreciative of her organizational skills and commitment to the program. To celebrate we took Lea to lunch at Coco’s Italian Market and gave her some items to commemorate our gratitude. Lea continues to hold multiple sections of her popular Estate Planning workshops each session.

Lea Johnson, Estate Planning

Lea Johnson, Estate Planning

Each year, we recognize a community member who has been a tireless supporter and advocate for our program. Mary Hance, aka Ms. Cheap, has touted our program as a great deal for years through her column in The Tennessean. Therefore, we named her the 2016 Community Advocate. We are so appreciative of her commitment to our city and her cheerleading of our efforts. Without voices like Mary’s speaking positively for our program, we would not be able to experience the growth we have. Mary helps us reach audiences throughout the city because she recognizes the program’s potential to serve our community through educational opportunities.

community advocate award

NCE Staff with Community Advocate Honoree, Mary Hance in The Tennessean offices

Mary Hance, aka Ms. Cheap, The Tennessean

partnerships

Belmont UniversityBridgestone ICD/USW Learning Center Carnegie WritersCenter for Nonprofit Management The Cohn SchoolCountry Music Television Cumberland D’Escrime Fencing Club The Mayor’s OfficeMetro Nashville & Davidson Co. City CouncilMetropolitan Nashville Public Schools

Over the years, Nashville Community Education has built valuable partnerships with local businesses and non-profit organizations in order to provide an array of class topics for our students. Our partnerships within the community enable us to provide free or low cost classes as well as new instructors and spaces. The partnerships this year provided classes on topics ranging from finance, law, seasonal eating and more!

Partnerships 2015-2016Middle Tennessee AARP Minuteman PressNashville Career Advancement CenterNashville Farmers’ MarketNashville Public Library New Horizons Technology of NashvilleThe Office of the Public Defender The Senior Renaissance CenterTennesse State Museum

marketing

To increase community awareness for our programs, NCE focuses efforts in areas such as course catalog distribution and community events in order to reach specific demograpahics. The analysis of our student zip codes will enable us to provide a more targeted approach when reaching students. Over 4,000 catalogs are mailed to potential students, with another 2,000 distributed throughout the city.

CNAP Monthly Meetings Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association LERN International Conference Richland Park Market FestivalTennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce Wright Middle School Open House Annual Fall Open House Celebrate Cultures: Metro Village

Community Events

Top Zip Codes 2015 - 2016

37209 37211 37221 37205 37013

Top Marketing Tools 2015 - 2016

Printed Catalog Online Friends & Family Printed Ad Radio Community Event

Media Coverage

NCE received over 10 spotlights from various outlets including:

• The Tennessean• Nashville Business Journal• Talk of the Town• StyleBlueprint• Ms. Cheap• NECAT• Suburban Turmoil• Fox 17 News

Social Media• Over 1,400 Facebook fans

• Daily Facebook posts receive regular interaction

• Almost 300 Twitter followers

• In the Spring 2016 session we added Instagram and currently have over 200 followers

Other Social Platforms• Email newsletter subscribers increased 20% to

over 4,000

• Developed regular blog content to complement our social media pages and e-mail newsletter

• Continued using YouTube to connect instructors and students through interview spotlights

marketingmarketing

budget

Nashville Community Education is a department of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County. Thanks to the support of the Mayor’s Office and City Council, our budget is supported by the city’s general fund. We are only able to offer our high-quality, low-cost enrichment classes due to this funding. Our classes are offered at a wide range of price points, as low as no-cost up to $149, with the average cost around $35. When deciding class fees, our department tries to stay below market while accounting for any additional student fees for materials, instructor cost, and student demand.

Revenue includes all money that comes from registration fees, supply fees, and gift certificates. Most volunteer instructors do receive a percentage of class fees as a stipend for their time and expertise. In FY16, these stipends were paid from revenue collected by fees. Funds from the General Fund and the Reserve Fund Supplement were used to cover all other operating expenses. In FY17, NCE moved from an Enterprise Fund to the General Fund, which will be reflected in future budgets.

Expense Budget: $551,400 Expense Actuals: $475,823

Revenue Budget from fees: $60,000Revenue Actuals from fees: $79,471 Revenue Subsidy from General Fund: $349,500 Revenue Subsidy from Reserve Fund Supplement: $104,600

Instructor Pay & Materials Cost: $34,942

2015 - 2016 Year in Review

Teach with NCEAre you interested in sharing your passion with the community? Join our team of talented volunteer instructors and help adults of all ages explore affordable, diverse enrichment options.

email cecinfo@nashville.gov for more information.or visit nashville.gov/ce to fill out a course proposal form today!

nashville Community education 4805 park Avenue, Suite 123

nashville, tn 37209nashville.gov/ce

615-298-8050